Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:49:12 -0600
From: caninkor@sasktel.net
Subject: Three Pieces of Gold, Part 3
This story is set in the Roman Empire, and therefore, obviously it is not
true. If you're not meant nor allowed to be here - and you know who you
are - skedaddle!
I started out to write a stroke story, and somewhere along the line
discovered I liked creative writing. Therefore, what started out as a
stroke story with scant plot, became a short story with some - but not a
lot - of sex in it. However, for those of you who feel it could benefit
from more sex, I wrote in a steamy scene at the end of this chapter. Also,
this chapter is fairly violent, and may not be for the faint of heart.
THREE PIECES OF GOLD
~ a short story by
R. Cameron Reece
Part 3
chapter seven
After a short argument with Giovanni, about his plans for the day, Aelius
sent the adolescent off to Agda's and made his way to the Colloseum. There
was to be a huge spectacle today, and Aelius would be fighting. Giovanni
had begged and begged to be allowed to see him, but Aelius had steadfastly
refused. It was not as glamourous as Gio thought, Aelius told him. And
anyway, the answer was "no", plain and simple. He tended to discourage
people he knew personally from watching fights in which there was potential
for him to die before their very eyes. Nor did he want the added
distraction their presence would bring. So, off Gio went in the direction
of Agda's shop, feet dragging, loose stones flying with a vengeance if they
were unlucky enough to be in his path, and Aelius made his way to the
training grounds outside the amphitheatre to prepare for the day's
spectacle.
Concentration was hard for Aelius today. He could not help it. Before
very many of this day's contestants had died, his eye chanced to fall on a
face in the front row of the second tier that he recognized; Lucanus! The
man made Aelius uneasy. Even though Lucanus had not had a choice in the
matter, he had not relinquished his ownership of Aelius gladly, or
willingly. Aelius did not fear for his physical safety; Lucanus was no
match for him in brute strength nor in fighting skill. Lucanus would not
choose such a modus operandi, anyway. It was not his style. Still, seats
in the second tier did not come cheap - if they could be purchased at all.
The people who usually occupied these seats were of the lesser nobility.
Lucanus had either parted with a lot of gold for that seat, or had somehow
ingratiated himself with a local noble. Such a feat could potentially
spell trouble for Aelius if he were not careful. The security his
connection with Tryphaena and her family could bring was not infinite.
Lucanus's presence was affecting his performance. At the beginning there
had been fourteen men in the ring. Today's contest was meant to mimic a
famous battle against the Saxon's, so trees had been anchored about the
ring. This was no obstacle for Aelius. He had learned the advantages and
disadvantages that props presented, and was able to use them to his
benefit. Now it came down to two, himself, and the man facing him warily.
Aelius did not arrive at this point unscathed, however.
A short but powerfully-muscled Nubian, skin blacker than a moonless sky,
instinctively allied himself with Aelius the moment the fight had begun.
Aelius did not like it particularly, when a situation such as this arose.
How does one kill someone who, just a moment before, was his ally,
responsible perhaps for saving his life?
They made a formidable duo just the same. Aelius was down. Due in no
small part to his distraction with Lucanus, he had made a fatal error. A
warrior stood above him, spike-studded mace raised high, ready to crush
Aelius's skull. In the split second before death took him, Aelius thought
of Gio and what would become of him on his own.
The blow never came, however. A warrior's cry, loud enough to silence even
the wild spectators, rent the air. The Nubian, swinging a cudgel with all
his might, connected square on the side of Aelius's assailant's knee. He
heard the crunch of a joint destroyed. His attacker howled and crumpled to
the sandy floor, half on top of Aelius. He smelled his would-be killer;
the stench of blood, sweat, and urine, mingled all together, along with the
dust of the arena. It was hard to tell if the man's scream was from agony,
or frustration at being cheated a life.
Gravity however, was still accelerating the mace's downward fall. With the
man on top of him, impeding his agility, Aelius could not get out of the
way. He grabbed the man's arm, stretching it across his own face to break
the mace's fall. His opponent screamed again, as iron spikes pierced his
flesh. A ribbon of blood gushed from Aelius's own hand as the mace came to
rest of the arena floor. Aelius quickly grabbed it and in one stroke,
assailant became victim.
Aelius was so intent on salvaging his life, and improving the odds of it
continuing, that, for those few seconds he had lost track of what was going
on in the rest of the arena. A deep, bass roar thundered from over his
left shoulder. He snapped his head around, and saw an immense tawny beast
bearing down on his black saviour. A lioness! Behind the deadly cat, a
trap door opened in the floor and another of the beasts sprang up from the
depths of the stadium. Two new opponents had been added to the fray. The
organizers were taking liberty with the Saxon theme, it appeared.
The Nubian was no doubt familiar with the two advancing enemies from his
homeland, but he would hardly be able to take on the both of them, starved
mad as they were. Aelius sprang to his feet, recently-acquired mace in
hand and ran a short distance toward the African, within sight of the two
lions.
Aelius was glad this was not his first encounter with the vicious beasts.
Otherwise, he would not be able to predict what they were liable to do.
That was the one thing that made these beasts less dangerous than humans;
their behaviour was predictable. The one whose attention was on him
stopped her advance and flattened to the ground, muscles taut like a coiled
spring. That was the sign Aelius was waiting for; she was ready to make
the charge. In her mind, the end to her painful hunger was only one pounce
away.
The lioness sprang. Aelius dove to his left, throwing a hand full of the
dusty sand into the lioness's face at the same time. Her mighty roar spoke
of anger being thwarted. Without a second's delay, Aelius rolled up onto
his feet in a crouching position. The lioness, not used to such dirty
tactics, would be momentarily disoriented, sight temporarily disabled. But
it would only be momentarily.
Two seconds was all that Aelius needed, however. He sprang to his feet,
brought his good hand up to aid his injured one on the mace, and with every
bit of strength his upper body had to offer, brought the club down across
the back of the mighty cat. It landed with a sickening thud, half way
between her tail and head, and embedded itself into the lioness's spinal
column. Another scream filled the air. Death is a noisy process, thought
Aelius.
The crowds went wild. It was not often that a man triumphed over a lion
mad with hunger. It wouldn't happen twice today, either. Aelius glanced
over to see how the African was faring. What he saw nearly made him retch.
The second proud cat was sinking her teeth into the Nubian's thigh. His
scream was ear splitting. Valiantly, he fought for escape, succeeding in
gouging out an eye of the formidable beast. However, victory was the
beast's that day, even if only by seconds. The lioness would not
relinquish her grip on his thigh as his life blood gushed out of his body.
With his last dying breath, the dying African stabbed his cudgel, now
broken in two, jagged on one end, into the face of the lioness. By some
stroke of miracle, it lodged into the socket of her good eye. It must have
sunk deep into her brain, for she gave a roar to match that of her comrade,
and fell to the ground, nerve firings and involuntary muscle contractions
leaving her twitching; the only movement her dying body could produce.
And, so it came down to this, as it inevitably always did: Two men left on
the sandy floor where just a few minutes before, there had been many, and
in a few moments more, would only be one. Aelius gave himself a mental
shake and focused on the opponent in front of him. There was cunning, and
seething hatred in the man's eyes. Aelius could sense both emanating from
him like scented body oil. This was the most dangerous kind of opponent; a
prisoner whose only other option was a worse death by execution. These
were the men that had nothing to lose, and as such, could not be predicted
to make rational moves - if a fight to the death could in any way be called
rational. In fact, a move or two of rash, foolhardy bravado was just what
the crowd loved. If a man was lucky enough to escape immediate death, AND
win the crowd over, he might just regain a life that was surely forfeit.
Should he live, his fate rested entirely in the direction of the fickle
crowd's thumbs.
Aelius, then, needed every whit of his mental skills as well as his
physical prowess for the job at hand: Killing. Said in so many words, it
sounded so crude and barbaric, but when it was either kill or be killed,
most men opted for the first, crude or not.
Each man circled the other warily. Aelius had been so busy arriving at
this moment with his life intact, that he had not had a chance to study
this man to glean some idea of his fighting style. He gave a mental shrug.
It did not put him at a disadvantage necessarily, for the other man in all
likelihood, had been too busy to study him as well.
He made a systematic check of his opponent. No weapons were visible, so it
was probable he was not armed but he could not count on that with any
certainty. Another quite successful free gladiator he knew had met with an
ignoble demise by making that assumption. The man's hands were also
unclenched, so a blinding handful of sand was not awaiting him. This was
often the simplest and most effective trick of all. If it could
incapacitate a beast so powerful as a lion, it certainly could render a man
helpless.
Aelius made the mistake of glancing up at the spectators, again catching a
glimpse of Lucanus. Damn that man! he thought. It was as if he had
somehow cast a spell over Aelius; a palpable force was omnipresent in the
ring. Aelius gave a forceful expulsion of breath. He would not allow
Lucanus to be the cause of his downfall in the ring. He had come too far
for such an end as that.
Whether it was coincidental, or the fact that he startled his opponent, his
explosive sigh galvanized the other into action. He danced a couple of
steps towards Aelius, closing the distance between them, and like
lightning, shot out his right arm, fist targeting Aelius's solar plexus.
Aelius was ready. He brought his left arm swiftly across his body,
gripping the man's arm at its wrist and deflecting the man's force off to
the right of his own body. Momentum did the rest. Aelius had his feet
planted apart so the man was flipped over his right leg. As his torso came
about level with Aelius's waist, Aelius also took his elbow and smashed it
into the man's kidneys. The warrior came to rest at Aelius's feet, on his
back, his head just in front of Aelius's right foot.
It was at times like this that being a free gladiator could be
advantageous. Aelius's sandals were of very good quality. He had had the
cobbler specially tool furrows into their soles. Sharp stones could be
jammed into these grooves. It made for unpleasant walking, but the focus
of today's activities was not a pleasure stroll.
The man was in obvious, excruciating pain, but nevertheless, valiantly
attempted to roll back onto his feet as hastily as he was able. He was not
fast enough, however. Aelius raised his foot and brought it down, aiming
to smash it in his opponent's face. The man moved at the last minute, and
Aelius missed, coming in contact with his back instead. Great ribbons of
flesh, outlined in crimson, were flayed from the man's back by the stones
honed razor sharp, lodged in Aelius's sandals. The man howled in pain.
Aelius, too, winced. Killing might be his job, but his preferred his
triumphs to be less messy.
To the man's credit, weakened though he was, he clumsily regained his
footing. The eyes that held so much cunning and hatred only moments before
were now glazed over with the opiates his own body was producing in an
unsuccessful attempt to ease his pain. Aelius advanced steadily towards
him. Better to terminate his life quickly than to make him suffer. Each
step he took forward was matched by a backward step from the wounded
gladiator. Aelius reckoned the man must really be in agony to be so
oblivious to his surroundings. In spite of knowing they were the only two
fighters left in the ring, no gladiator would take several steps backwards
without a glance over his shoulder to ensure his path was clear.
The feeble man's carelessness was to be his downfall. Aelius could see
what lay in his path, and an idea suddenly leapt to the fore of his mind.
If entertainment was what the crowd wanted, then entertainment is what they
would get. He took two quick steps toward the man, both hands poised as if
to lunge for his throat. The man took two equivalent steps in reverse; or
tried to. Blocking his path was one of the proud cats, now sprawled limp,
that had been the nemesis of both men only minutes before. Arms flailing,
the man tried to regain his balance but it was a futile gesture and he
ended up in a heap on the other side of the cat. The crowd roared with
laughter. Aelius vaulted over the lioness, drew his leg back and delivered
a powerful blow to the man's temple. The gladiator inhaled one last gulp
of air and was dead. The applause from the wild crowd was deafening as he
dragged the man around, pried open the lion's mouth and put the man's head
into it. * * * Giovanni went through all the motions as Agda instructed
that day, but it was clear to her that his heart was not in it. When he'd
failed his task three times that morning, and upset the pot of soup that
was to be their lunch into the fire, Agda declared the day a total loss,
and sought a distraction.
As they sat eating the (second) lunch she had prepared, she said to him,
"Gio, are you familiar with Etiamus of Nola?" The puzzled look on Gio's
face was answer enough. "No, I don't suppose you are. Pro'lly don't even
know where Nola is. It's a tiny place south of Roma, and is the place I
was born. Etiamus's family goes back for generations as the nobility in
Nola, or what passes for nobility there," Agda gave a half chuckle. Think
how honoured we Nolanese were when our very own Tryphaena was chosen to be
the latest Vestal Virgin."
At the mention of Tryphaena's name, Giovanni's eyes grew big and his
eyebrows shot up and then, just as quickly, furrowed in a frown. Tryphaena
was not a rare name, but it was not very common, either. Surely it was not
going to turn out that this was the same Tryphaena who freed Lee, and that
this Tryphaena was a relative of Agda . But then, that would explain how
Agda knew Lee.
"Oh, so Aelius has already told you how he was freed, did he?" she stated.
The teen nodded. Agda continued. "Our whole family was pleased, but none
more than me. I had lived vicariously though Tryphaena for many years. My
niece was everything I ever wanted to be and never had the chance to
become. You see, in my family, I was just a burden. Were he able to think
of an idea how, I'm sure my frater would have gotten rid of me." Gio's
brow was furrowed with puzzlement. "I can see I'm confusing you. Let me
start at the beginning.
"My pater, Agustus of Nola, was a very wealthy and influential man, the
only nobility Nola had. It was rumoured by the locals in Nola after the
birth of his third child, all girls, that he had done something to find
disfavour with the god Priapus. Girls are good for solidifying political
alliances, but not for inheriting the family dynasty.
"So, it was with great expectation, after doing all he could think of to
merit favour from Priapus, that my pater awaited my birth. When the
midwife told him I was a girl, he wanted to leave me on the hills outside
of Nola for the dogs to eat, I was later told. My mater, however, would
not allow it. Strangely enough, they were genuinely in love, and he
acquiesced to her request. He never could look on me with eyes of love,
however. To him, I epitomized failure, four times worth, and it was just
too much to bear.
"It was not until five years later, long enough for me to grow old enough
to remember his cool attitude towards me, that my mater again got with
child. This pregnancy was nearly to be the death of her. Her belly was
distended more than ever before. Her stomach heaved its morning contents
on a daily basis. She could not even get to her feet without losing
consciousness.
"In retrospect, the midwives should have known what portents of good news
this was, since it was distinctly different than her previous four
pregnancies. However, everyone was whispering, speculating about what my
pater or my mater could possibly have done to anger the gods this much.
Nine months later, on the ides of Maia my frater was born. Great was the
rejoicing in our household. No one celebrated more greatly than my pater,
of course. The curse on his seed had finally been broken.
"In spite of finally receiving the son he so desperately prayed for daily,
my pater's attitude toward me did not change. It's not easy finding a use
for the fourth daughter, especially one with my beauty," Agda laughed dryly
at herself. "There are only so many affiliations to make that require a
marriage. So, I was nearly a non-entity. I was treated little better than
the scullery maid. It may have been a blessing that he died before finding
some intolerable man on which to foist me.
"On his death, I was then the responsibility of my little frater, Etiamus,
barely a man, at 16. His love for me was little more than my pater showed
me. At least however, his feeling towards me were without resentment, and
as such, much more bearable. Still, I was like an extra appendage; not
particularly useful, and more often than not, a burden rather than an
asset.
"His wedding came less than a month after our pater died. Some said it was
held too soon to be in good taste; our mater was still in black. The woman
and the time had been pre-arranged years before, however, so it went ahead.
His new bride was a weak, vacuous thing, who couldn't manage a chicken
coop, let along a household of any substantial size. She came from good
bloodlines, however, and connections with her family were enviable, so her
lack of substance was excusable in my frater's eyes. It was then that he
found a use for me. I became the chatelaine of our villa in Nola, and
ensured that Rianna, his wife, never appeared to the public to be the
simpering incompetent that she really was.
"Tryphaena's birth again set the village gossips' tongues to wagging. Was
the curse that had plagued our pater going to continue into the next
generation? No one in our household worried particularly, however. She
was the first-born, and it was too soon to jump to conclusions."
Agda continued, "Tryphaena was a delightful child. She was even-tempered,
smart as her pater, and beautiful to behold. None loved her more than me,
and my love was returned a hundred fold. She was more my daughter than
Rianna's. As years went by, I had many an argument with my frater over
plans to marry her off to some ogre twice her age just for the sake of
money, power, or both. Rianna, as usual, didn't have an opinion. I knew
ultimately that his word would rule, but I tried desperately to make him
see reason, and to take Tryphaena's feelings into consideration.
"Shortly after an especially vicious disagreement that had left Tryphaena
in tears and me helplessly resigned to her fate, a wealthy entourage
arrived at our estate. One look was enough to see that whoever these
people were, they were important. One caged conveyance contained a hearth,
with a flame brightly burning . How odd, I thought. If I didn't know
better, I would say these were messengers from the Temple of Vesta. As
they approached closer, so I could examine them more closely my heart
dropped down into my stomach. All the attendants were women! It couldn't
be anything other than a party from the Temple of the Goddess Vesta! My
mind quickly ran through all the possible scenarios for a reason for a
visit from the goddess. Did it have something to do with all the girls
born into our dynasty? They certainly weren't coming for me; I was too old
to be a Vestal Virgin, and anyway I ..." Agda's cheeks turned pink, and
she gave a quick glance at Gio to see if he had picked up on the fact her
inadvertent slip of the tongue implied. If he did, he had the equanimity
not to let on.
Agda continued. "There could be only one other reason why such a group
would pay a visit to my frater. My knees grew weak as I considered it.
The goddess Vesta had heard my prayers. Tryphaena was to be saved from
some unbearable union after all! Sure enough, once the guests had been
received, the message was delivered. The priestess has been given a vision
from the goddess of fire. Tryphaena has found favour in Vesta's eyes, and
her presence is requested at the Temple of Vesta in Roma. The message was
delivered very politely, in the form of a request, not a command, but what
man in his right mind - whether he had to forfeit a political affiliation
or not - would turn down a direct request from the gods?!
"So it was, that on her fifteenth birthday, my niece was installed as the
newest keeper of the eternal flame at the Temple of Vesta in Roma. My
frater, though disappointed at a missed chance to ally himself as he'd
wanted, was quick to foresee what benefits being the pater of a Vestal
Virgin would bring him. It seemed my raison d'etre on the estate left with
her. It wasn't long after, that I left, as well. I didn't have any
particular destination in mind, nor any particular skills. All I had was
my interest in plants that I'd had since childhood, and the knowledge that
hobby brought. I suppose, in retrospect, a woman traipsing off on her own
wasn't the wisest thing but I didn't consider that at the time.
"My goodness, look at the sun," Agda said, jumping up. Aelius will be
arriving any minute and we haven't even started dinner. Quick, Gio! Run
to the market from some carrots." She didn't seem to have any doubts that
Aelius wouldn't return, despite the boy's worries.
Gio made haste to do as he was bidden. They had just finished preparing
dinner - Gio's help amounted to nothing more than simply washing the
vegetables - and it was in the pot to cook when Aelius came through the
door.
"Lee!" Gio shouted, running over and throwing his arms around his chest.
"You're safe, Diana be praised. But what's wrong with your hand?!" he
gasped, as he took a step back to examine his mentor.
"Calm down, Gio, it looks worse than it is," Aelius said, of his hand, now
caked in dried blood and dirt. "To come through a gladiator battle and even
to still be alive is cause enough for thanks. You can't expect that I
won't have any injuries. Agda, don't start," he said, throwing a dark look
at the older woman as she made to launch into another of her lectures. "I
do this for a living, because I am good at it, and it used to be that I had
nothing to lose; my death would not leaving anyone wanting. But now ...."
he did not finish the sentence.
"Gio, warm a pot of clean water," Agda instructed him, once again all
business, "and put some of these into it. Just a pinch is enough," she
said, handing him some dried leaves that were a rusty orange in colour.
Gio did as he was told, and a few short minutes later Aelius's hand was
cleaned and bandaged. "You come straight to me, first thing in the
morning, if you can't bend all your fingers. Hear?" Agda admonished him.
That cut was very deep, and I can't tell how much damage was done inside."
"Yes'm," Aelius replied meekly.
"Now come, both of you. In the midst of all the excitement, dinner had
finished cooking. Sit down, and you," she said looking at Aelius, "can
tell us all the fool things you did today."
Aelius winked at Giovanni. Although Agda's concern for his health was
genuine, and she would be much happier if he did not do the work he did,
she was not immune to the excitement of a spectacular fight. She would
rather die, however, than admit it.
After eating a fine meal at Agda's, Giovanni and Aelius made their way
home. It was too early in the evening to go straight to bed. After taking
off their sandals and washing the dust off their feet, Gio offered to
massage Lee's muscles.
"You must be very stiff, the way you moved when we came home from Agda's,"
Gio said. "I think you should let me rub out some of your aches with
Adga's salve."
Because he really was sore and tense, but also because any reason to have
sensual contact with Gio was motivation enough, Aelius readily agreed. He
stretched out on his stomach, on their sleeping mat, and Gio started at his
neck. Soft moans of appreciation came from deep within Aelius as Gio
kneaded his shoulders. Gio bent down and teased Aelius's ear with his
tongue. This brought more moans from Lee, and a shiver traversed his
flesh. Gio leaned down further still and darted his tongue across Lee's
lips.
"If you keep that up, none of my muscles are gonna get rubbed down, Gio,"
Lee wasn't really complaining. Gio knew how this was true and so went back
to massaging his lover. It was very stimulating for him to feel the
muscles move under Lee's smooth skin, and he'd been erect from nearly the
beginning. A drop of honey formed on the end of his pisello, and slowly
fell to Lee's body. Gio's hands made their way down Lee's back. He dug
his fingers deeply into Lee's glutes, producing more and more groans from
Aelius. Lee spread his legs to give Gio more access. With more salve,
Gio's fingers danced lightly along Lee's inner thighs. A sharp gasp of
pleasure from Aelius made Gio's prick twitch, as more pre-cum made its way
to Lee's skin. All pretense of legitimate massage gone, Gio took his
lover's sac in his hands. He gripped the sac at the base of Lee's body,
thumb and forefinger encircling it and tugged gently, until Lee's balls
slipped through his oiled hand. The heat and man smell of Lee made Gio
animalistic with desire. Slowly his fingers made their way up the crevice
of Lee's glutes. When they stopped and danced around the entrance to Lee's
nether region, Aelius gasped again. Encouraged, Gio continued to stimulate
Lee, until the rosebud started to slightly open. Lee was writhing under
him. Gio inched down on the mat, his face now level with Lee's valley.
Gio took each buttock in his hands and pulled outward gently. Puckering
his lips, he blew a stream of air on the dark opening. It twitched in
reply.
"Do you like that, my love," Gio moved up to whisper in Lee's ear. "Do you
want me to go on?"
"Yes!" Aelius gasped a reply. "You're driving me crazy. You're making me
so hot!"
Encouraged, Gio gently lowered his entire body onto that of Aelius. He
rubbed his naked body over Lee's, the friction and warmth that resulted
threatened to make him come. His cock found its way to Lee's crack, and he
flexed his hips back and forth moving his pisello up and down Lee's furrow.
His foreskin retracted completely each the time his crown reached the top
of Lee's glutes, and the stimulation of his head without its cover sent
tingles from this cock to his balls and back again. Each time his pisello
passed over Lee's hole, Lee would groan, arching his back in pleasure.
Gio's cock seemed to take on a life of its own, and each time it passed
over Lee's hole, Gio applied more pressure, trying to enter Lee. He was
very careful to read Lee's body language as he had never penetrated Lee
before, and he wasn't certain whether Aelius would allow it. It became a
moot point however. One more thrust, and Gio's body betrayed him. He
cried out in ecstasy and his hot semen spent itself all over Lee's back.
Out of breath, he collapsed on his lover.
After a moment's reprieve, he rolled from Lee's body. Lee rolled over,
also, and moved his prick near Gio's mouth. Even though he'd had an orgasm
only moments before, due to his youth, Gio was nowhere near yet satisfied.
He enveloped Lee's member with his mouth. Taking it all the way to its
base, he swallowed, causing Lee to cry out. Lee took charge and slowly
started to pump his cock in and out of Gio's mouth. Gio's tongue could
feel the veins on the surface of Lee's prick, engorged as they were, with
Lee's desire. Before long, Lee's thrusts became faster and more forceful.
Gio could sense Lee's impending orgasm, and began to stroke his own pisello
in time to Lee's thrusts. After three more pumps, Lee pulled his prick out
of Gio's mouth, and with several cries of agon-ecstasy shot his load over
Gio's face. Gio felt the warm salvos coat his face. His mouth was still
open and he tasted some of his lover's cream. With a cry of his own, he
arched his back, thrust his groin into the air and tasted paradise for the
second time that night.
More to come yet! Your comments and constructive criticisms are welcome at
caninkor@sasktel.net, the address listed above.